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Friday, August 8, 2014

The Theory of Everything makes you consider that Stephen Hawking wasn't always crippled with ALS and had dreams just like the rest of us

I had no idea that anyone was considering making a Stephen Hawking biopic, so when I saw this trailer on io9 for the first time two days ago, I was stunned because he really is one of my living heroes, not only as an atheist but because he's so brilliant that it's difficult for me to comprehend his intelligence (and that in itself is awe-inspiring). I suppose November can't get here soon enough. And you know, it's about time we celebrated a scientist of Hawking's caliber. Afterall, a mind like his comes along only once in a lifetime. If you haven't seen the trailer, you should take the time to do so because it's awesome to see a young Stephen Hawking in love. And remember "Hope is Everything. Life is Everything. Love is Everything. There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. However bad life may seem, while there is life, there is hope."

I'm fascinated by people who massively outlive their diagnoses. For that reason alone, he's a champion.

At the risk of expressing an unpopular opinion, as a former academic I feel a bit cynical about the attention he's gotten and some of the ways he's used his position as a famous person to present his research. My understanding is that he's taken to skipping the peer review process lately.

Years ago I saw a doc about Hawking where he would talk to his grad students and they seemed to understand him. His ALS has been a slow decline, and it's amazing that he's able to continue to work. I think it's the work that's kept him alive.